JERICHO Cruz waxed hot during a furious second half run as Blackwater Sports overcame a 15-point deficit to stun Jumbo Plastic Linoleum, 91-81, and move into the semifinal round of the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Cruz took over by scoring 17 of his game-high 29 points in the third with the sixth-ranked Elite blowing past the Giants to secure a Final Four berth.

Blackwater Sports won after trailing by 25-40 in the second period before Cruz's heroics backed by the team's pressure defense sparked the rally.

Blackwater Sports trailed, 25-40, in the second period but Cruz sparked the offense and the Elite used pressure defense to become the first team to reach the semifinals as the sixth-seed.

“At the back of our minds, we know we can beat them anytime. All we have to do is play disciplined basketball, control ourselves and our emotions, and play with a lot of intensity,” said Blackwater Sports coach Leo Isaac.

“It was a good test of character for us,” Isaac added.

Cruz went 3 for 4 from beyond the arc and also grabbed 10 rebounds.

“Ibang klase ’yung intensity na binibigay nung bata. We would want him to go for isolation plays and one-on-one plays but he surprised us with his three-point shots and it came at a crucial part of the game,” said Isaac.

Allan Mangahas added 17 points. Kevin Ferrer and Pari Llagas had 14 and 11 points respectively for Blackwater Sports, which forced a do-or-die game after an 86-78 victory on Tuesday.

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After trailing 33-44 at the half, Blackwater played effectively on defense as its fullcourt press backstopped its comeback to finally take the lead on a lay-up by Mangahas, 56-55.

Cruz had back-to-back triples as the Elite grabbed a 63-58 lead.

Blackwater also used an 8-0 spurt for an 81-71 lead with three minutes left in the fourth.

Karl Dehesa had 12 of his 18 points in the first half but third-seed Jumbo Plastic could not hold on to the lead.